Patrick Leahy: “As one of seven conferees representing the Senate, I rise today to speak in support of the conference report and urge my…”

“As one of seven conferees representing the Senate, I rise today to speak in support of the conference report and urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill. This farm bill will assist America's family farmers, expand economic opportunity in rural communities, strengthen programs to protect the environment and improve the nutritional safety net for low-income Americans. But one aspect of this new bill that makes it historic is the fact that, for the first time in a long, long, time, dairy farmers across our nation will have an adequate safety net that they can count to provide income support should prices remain low. The national dairy program in this bill represents a carefully crafted compromise between many competing interests. First, it is a compromise among those regions of the country who support dairy compacts and those that don't. It's no secret that I would have preferred an extension of the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. It cost taxpayers nothing. After Members of Congress from other regions and the opposition of President Bush and Vice President Cheney blocked these efforts, the Vermont Congressional Delegation--against great odds, but joined by allies from across the nation--urged creation of a national dairy program as a compromise.”